Drill pipe manipulator



Patented Mar. 4, 1947 I UN T STATES P E T 1 Okla. I

Application January 14, 1946, Serial No. 641,1iilv 90m (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates. to'pipe handling apparatus in well derricks and more especially to hynously therewith for engaging and orienting pipe with respect to a rack inan elevated position in the derrick, said latter means being also efiective to hold stands orsections o! pipe for threading and unthreading operations,.-the said off-centering means, in the mean time-restrainlngthe lines against interference with the pipe orienting and'holding means.

Another object of the invention is to provide I hydraulically operated apparatus for handling pipe in a derrick which will'reduce materiallythe manual eflort heretofore required'ior this purpose as well as the hazards attending the same.

Moreover, it has been foundin practice that the invention conserves time in racking and manipulating pipe.

links H an elevator l2 pipe 5 Just below the tool joint; I! to raise and lower the same. I 1

In order to dispose the line 8 insucha position in the derrick that it will notinterfere WIthOD- 'erations therebelow and near the center of the derrick, a hydraulic cylinder I4 is mounted near the top of the derrick in a horizontal position.

This cylinder contains a piston which actuates a number depending upon the number. of lines 01- leads 8. "When the cylinder is charged with fluid under pressure, the plunger Md will'be extended, whereupon the sheaves I5'wi1l engage With the foregoing objects as paramount, the

invention has further reference to certain features of accomplishment which will become apparent as the description proceeds, taken in connectlon with the accompanying drawing wherein: Fi ure 1 is a side elevational view of a well derrick, more or less schematically illustrating the conventional equipment thereof-and the relationship oi the invention to suchequipment.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view oi the derrick in elevation taken on line 2-2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of the derrick in transverse section, taken on line 3-1 on Figure l, and

Figure 4 is a detail view of the hydraulically operated pipe racking tong'in longitudinal secon.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference is primarily made to Figure .1 wherein numeral i denotes a conventional and thrust the lines! toward the opposite side of Complementary to the'cylinder II and its associated' elements is a pipe racking mechanism, broadly identified by reference numeral It in Figure 1 and which consists of a double acting, hydraulic elevating cylinder 18, pivoted on a piston-rod M, which latter is mounted on a support well derrick standing over a well 2. A drilling II. The cylinder 18 is capableof rotative displacement on the piston rod ,l9,such displace-.

ment being eifected by a second double acting cylinder--20 through a splined and slidable lever 2| and an extensible shaft 22. g l

I A third double acting cylinder 23 is provided, which is shown in longitudinal section inFigure 4 on an enlarged scale. It will be observed in Figures 1 and 3. that cylinder I8 is disposed in a engaging head broadly identified in Figure3 by. reference numeral 24. However, by referring to Figure4, it will be observedlthat jaws 25 are disposed oneachside of the head 24, carrying roll.-

ers 20 adapted to engagethe pipe 5. i Thedaws 2B are pivoted ata to astationary or fixed jaw which latches around the" l tached to a hollow piston rod.

I any conventional design and of theinvention.

asiasis 2'! which latter is also equipped with pipe engaging rollers 28. The fixed jaw 27 is rigidlyat- Lying parallel with the cylinder 23 and held in fixed relation thereto is a'fluid supply pipe 30. into which extends telescopically a similar tube 3| which latter communicates with the hollow piston rod 29 at its forward end. The purpose in making these tubes extensible is, of course, to

' allow-for extension of the'pi'ston rod 29 as pressureis'supplied to the cylinder 23; in this manner the head 24 maybe, reached across the dc;- rick in disposing pipe in the rack 6. It is obvious that the telescoping tubes 30 and 3| may be replaced by flexible hydraulic hose, if desired.

Fluid pressure entering the hollow piston rod 29 through tubesrill and 3| acts upon a piston 32, movement of the latter is resisted by a spring 33 within the hollow rod 29 but continued inward movement of the piston exerts a pull on the I rod 34,01 the piston, displacinglinks 35 connecting the rod and jaws 25, causing the latter to expand to release the pipe 5. g

When pressure against the piston 32 is exhausted, the spring 33 acts to thrust piston 32 forwardly, collapsing the jaws 25 on the pipe through. pivotal action of links 35.v Being thus 1 held ina vertical position but free to rotate, the

pipe may now be screwed into or unscrewed from a joint, such as the tool joint l3.in the case of drill stem;

Entering the rear end of cylinder 23 is a fluid pressure pipe on flexible hydraulictubing 36. When pressure is introduced through this pipe or tubeinto thehollow piston rod 29, piston 32 will be moved forwardly to exert pressure at the vvpivotal'junction of links 35 to collapsethje jaws 25 on the pipe 5 with a force suflicient to enable an entire stand of pipe to be lifted without slippage, such slippage being prevented by rollers 2G and 28.

ter laws in collapsed position on the work, hydraulic means for expanding said jaws, extensible means within said horizontal cylinder vfor hydrau' lically supplementing the compressive force oi said spring on said jaws and means for .introducing fluid under pressure into and exhausting the same from said horizontal cylinder for eflecting longitudinal displacement ton rod.

2. Hydraulic pipe'holding and racking apparatus adapted to be mounted in a well derrick and comprising a cylinder having a hollow piston rod, 9. head on said rod having a stationary and movable work engaging jaws, means normally a contracting said movable jaws, hydraulic means overcoming the resistance of said contracting raising and lowering said cylinder and means for hydraulically rotating said cylinderon a vertical;

.head-on said rodhaving stationary and movable When the hollow pistonrod 29 is to be actu- J ated longitudinallmfluid pressure is introduced into cylinder 23 ahead of piston 31. therein through inlet 38 to extend the. pipe engaging head 24 and at the same time, fluid is exhausted through port 39. To retract the head 24, pressure is applied through port 39 and exhausted throughport 38.

i .It is apparent from the foregoing that the pipe engaging head 24 may be raised and lowered time rotated'from side to side under power'supplied by cylinder 29, all of the parts being pivotally connected for flexibilityoi control. v While no valves are shown for controlling presthrough double action cylinder [8 and at the same sures in the various cylinders, these may be of v ratus including a vertically disposed cylinder-having a stationary piston and rod on which said cylinder is disposed for rotative and longitudinal displacement, a longitudinally disposed cylinder rotatably supported by said vertically disposed cylinder, having a hollow piston rod, 9. head on said rod having stationary and movable work en- I gaging jaws, springmeans for holding said latmeans to open said jaws, means for introducing fluid under pressure through said hollow piston rodand supplementing said first means for exerting a closing force on said jaws, hydraulic means for effecting longitudinal displacement of said hollow piston rod means for hydraulically axis.

3. Hydraulic pipe handling and racking apparatus for well derrick comprising in combination with a finger board, a, horizontal cylinder, rotatable on a vertical axis opposite said finger board, a

a piston in said cylinder having a hollow rod, a

pipe engaging jaws, means in said hollow rod contracting said movable jaws, means for introv ducingfiuid under pressure into said hollow rod for. counteracting the force of said fir'stmeans to expand said jaws, means for actuating said piston to'extend said hollow rod and head, hydraulic means for raising and loweringsaid cylinder and means for rotating said cylinder on its vertical axis.

4. Hydraulic pipe handling and racking apparatus including a main cylinder supported rotatably on a vertical axis intermediate its ends, and having a piston therein mounted on a hollow rod, a pipe engaging head on said rod having stationary and movable work engaging jaws, means fornormally contracting said movable jaws, hy-

. draulic means resisting said latter means for expanding said movable jaws, hydraulic meanssupplementing the contracting force of said first .means for contracting said jaws, hydra'ulically powered means for raising and lowering said main cylinder and hydraulically powered means for rotating said main cylinder on its vertical axis.

5. A pipe handling and racking apparatus for derricks including in combination with the finger board of a derrick, a horizontally disposed cylinder mounted torotate on a vertical axis opposite said finger board, containing a piston and a hol-.

low rod carrying pipe engaging and holding Jaws,

hydraulic means for actuating said jaws, hydraulic means .for raising and'lowering said cylinder, and hydraulic means forrotating said [cylinder on its vertical axis. v

6. A pipe handling and racking apparatusfor derricks including in combination'with the finger board of a derrick, a horizontally disposed cylinder'mounted to rotate on a vertical axis opposite vsaidfinger board, containing a pistonand a, hollow rodcarrying pipe engaging and holding jaws, hydraulic means for actuating said jaws, hydraulic means forraising and lowering said cylinder,

hydraulic means for rotatingsaid cylinder on its vertical axis, and means superimposing said horizontaliy disposed cylinder in said derrick for disof said hollow pisplacing pipe hoisting lines with respect to the center or said derrick.

7. The structure set forth in claim 5, further defined in that means auxiliary to the hydraulic means is provided for imposing a normal contracting force on the pipe engaging and holding defined in that the pipe engaging'and holding Jawsare advanced upon and retracted from the work by hydraulic means and means "to effect 3 elongation oi the conduits serving to circulate fluid'eflective to actuate said jaws.

9. The structure set forthinclaim 5, further defined in that the means for displacing the pipe hoisting line consists'oi a horizontally disposed cylinder having a piston and piston rod, the latter carrying spaced apart sheaves engageahle with said hoisting lines to move the same out of their 10 normally suspended position in the derrick.

mam monsoon. 

